This invention is a scanning TV camera adapted for surveillance of a wide angular area. It is particularly suited for surveillance in places such as banks, stores, airport public areas, or any place which it is desired to have under surveillance by camera means; it permits viewing at location removed from the scene and provides an instantaneous picture that can be recorded in permanent or semi-permanent form; eg. on videotape, if desired for later reviewing, or for a permanent record.
Scanning photographic and TV cameras for the foregoing and other purposes are well known. However, such cameras presently known and used customarily scan by swinging the entire body of the camera, which necessitates rather bulky and expensive mounting structures and mechanisms for pivoting the cameras. Additionally it is sometimes desirable for the camera to be unobtrusive so as not to be readily noticed by a casual observer, but pivoting the whole camera draws attention to it; a moving body naturally attracts the eye and the larger the body the greater the attraction.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a scanning TV camera that accomplishes the scanning by simple, economic, and relatively unobtrusive, yet effective, means.
The foregoing and other objects are realized by the scanning TV camera of this invention which accomplishes the scanning by moving only a portion of the camera system, the major portion suitably being mounted in fixed position. This not only has the advantage of a simpler and less expensive mechanism, but accomplishes the scanning with much less obtrusive motion than prior scanning camera systems which customarily swing the whole camera body. Moreover, with the system of this invention, when used for out-of-doors applications the camera housing may be mounted in fixed position thereby offering aerodynamically less resistance and minimizing the attendant twisting of electrical wiring going to the camera and to the scanning mechanism.